McCall sparks Sailors

NEWPORT BEACH — Out of her swimsuit and in street clothes, Nicolina McCall exited the Newport Harbor High locker room.

A reporter asked her for an interview and then he brought out his handheld camera. He planned to record the interview.

“I don’t look my best,” McCall said.

The reporter caught McCall at the wrong time.

She definitely looked great earlier in the pool in a girls’ water polo match against El Toro Friday.

The senior helped the Sailors rally from an early deficit. McCall finished with a season-high six goals and added three steals as Newport Harbor won, 15-8, at home.

McCall sparked the Sailors (14-5), ranked No. 4 in the CIF Southern Section Division I coaches’ poll.

With the Sailors down, 2-0 in the first 86 seconds, McCall responded with back-to-back goals. The two-meter player bound for USC said she felt compelled to elevate her game after a recent team meeting.

“I’m thinking like, ‘Oh, my God! I’m not losing this [match],’ ” McCall said. “We haven’t been playing our best lately.”

The Sailors were 3-2 in their last five nonleague matches before Friday.

Two of those losses came at the prestigious Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions, where Newport Harbor placed fourth. Getting beat on the same day by Back Bay rival Corona del Mar and Sunset League rival Los Alamitos on Jan. 17 stung the Sailors.

“We wanted to come out strong because we didn’t have the best [showing] at the Santa Barbara tournament,” Newport Harbor junior Kaleigh Gilchrist said after contributing four goals, one coming on a five-meter penalty shot, four field blocks, three steals and two assists.

“We wanted to show everyone that we’re still capable of a CIF title.”

The Sailors have a legit shot at going back-to-back.

During a 12-minute span, covering the first, second and third periods, Newport Harbor delivered championship-caliber play. The Sailors went on an 11-0 run, knocking out the No. 7-ranked Chargers (13-7).

Before Newport Harbor took a commanding 11-2 lead on the second of Kathryn Manderino’s three goals in the match, El Toro Coach Matt Tilton yelled out the obvious during the Sailors’ big run.

“Where’s the defense?” the first-year coach said.

The only defense displayed in the water was that of Newport Harbor’s in the first half.

The player the Sailors focused on was Larissa Todisco.

“We need to shut down No. 8,” McCall said of the UCLA-bound left-handed attacker.

Todisco got off to a strong start, recording a goal 29 seconds into the match.

The rest of the first half, she was held scoreless. Late in the second quarter, Todisco appeared to get a good look at the cage for a scoring chance.

Gilchrist, a utility player, blocked Todisco’s shot, sending it back. An El Toro played grabbed it, and from afar, fired a desperate shot.

“I think after [the first couple of minutes] we kind of got a hold of what they were running and then we started kicking it into gear,” McCall said.

“I think because we hadn’t played them this year, we didn’t know what to expect.”

Todisco, who finished with four goals, brought the Chargers closer in the third.

She scored twice during a 3-0 run, making it a six-goal match with 2:41 left in the period.

“I wasn’t really happy with our defense at times,” said Newport Harbor Coach Bill Barnett, knowing there’s enough time to correct the defensive lapses.

Newport Harbor’s big test will come Feb. 11 against No. 3-ranked Los Alamitos.

Both teams are tied for first in the Sunset League at 3-0 and should remain undefeated until they meet at Newport Harbor.

“That’s the big showdown,” said Barnett, whose Sailors are the defending league champs.

Nonleague

Newport Harbor 15, El Toro 8

SCORE BY QUARTERS

ET – Todisco 4, Browning 3, Morgan 1. Saves – Sonnenfeld 5.

NH – N. McCall 6, Gilchrist 4, Manderino 3, Cottam 1, Klippert 1. Saves – Burger 2.

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at david.carrillo@latimes.com.